This won’t be the most cohesive blog entry I’ve ever produced since it’s been written in fits and starts over the past too weeks (I was ill, got better and fell ill again – I reek of Vick’s Vaporub). Still, that means there should be something to interest everyone (blatant lie).

Congratulations to Ed Salter (BlewBMX) for making it to the finals of the Times Young Photographer competition. Also props to Lloyd for winning King Of Street at the recent Street Vs Tweak 2 jam in Southampton. Check this vid to see why he won (whips on lock!).

Recently I have been been keeping one eye open on Nike’s Art Of Football project. What I find interesting is that they have taken a subject that I am familiar with but have no love for (I don’t have the attention span to appreciate sport) and repackaged it in a manner which perks my interest. By treating what is normally a mainstream culture in ways usually reserved for subcultural activities even I am intrigued enough to pay attention. The best example of what I’m waffling on about is the 1-1 exhibition.

In a similar vein i like the direction of the NSW (Nike Sportswear) collection. What I find interesting is the way that it is presented as a bridge between dedicated sportswear and casual attire so that the result would leave one neither looking like they had just stepped off the playing field or like another token streetwear poser.

I like the marriage of casual sensibilities (which have the emphasis on aesthetics) and genuine technical ability. This is fashion meets function but instead of appropriating practical garments, the staple items are designed with practicality in mind.

Having sorted out a new computer I am now in the process of acquiring a new font I’ve had my eye on. Namely, Johnston Underground, which was originally designed specifically for the London Underground signage and was the main inspiration behind another favourite of mine, Gill Sans.

Eric Gill’s most famous work is often seen as an icon of post war British style (and as thus is a fitting partner to the original Penguin paperback covers) but I managed to stumble across a couple of less than favourable evaluations of it’s design. This Typotheque article is the better of the two whilst this entry on Typographica has plenty of links to alternative but similar styles (I particularly like the idea of Wayfarer, otherwise know as Sheffield Sans).

I wrote some of this post whilst listening to the latest Tru Thoughts podcast. I’ve been slacking off on them lately but I had to check this one out as it features the one and only Natural Self. The new Shapes compilation is also out now.

I’ve still not got used to my Macintosh yet. It’s like trying to walk in a borrowed pair of shoes, familiar and yet, at the same time, completely alien.